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Here are the eight startups chosen for Akro Accelerator’s second cohort

Cape Town based venture builder Akro has announced the names of the eight startups selected for its second 20-week acceleration programme funded by the SA SME Fund. The programme kicked off on Monday (9 September).

The announcement follows a call that the accelerator programme which closed on 30 August (see this story).

In line with the SA SME Fund’s objectives to support and fund more black African entrepreneurs, the accelerator sought to have just over half of the places in each cohort filled by startups with black African founders. Six of the startups selected for this, the second cohort have black African founders.

The R1.4-billion SA SME Fund, which draws its contributions from a number of listed companies in SA as well as from the Public Investment Company (PIC), has provided R2-million to Akro sponsor two cohorts this year.

Eight startups have been selected for Akro’s acceleration programme funded by the SA SME Fund which starts this Monday

Startups don’t have to sell any of their equity when they join the accelerator programme and any investment discussions will commence after the completion of the eight-week core programme.

Two of the eight startups that took part in the first cohort have netted funding.

Bulrush Agritech revealed earlier this month that it had landed R250 000 from an angel investor (see this story), while Spoon Money won R1-million in grant funding and a further R1-million in support from SA fintech accelerator AlphaCode last month (see this story).

The eight startups that have been selected are:

HotNozzle is a startup that has developed a battery powered portable showerhead that heats up cold water. No electricity is needed. The device’s inventor is Thamsanqa Hoza, who is originally from the Free State who (along with Bokamoso Molale) invented the Hot Nozzle. See the startup’s pitchdeck here.

Parkuppwas founded by Palesa Moloi and Michael Savvides in 2016. The Johannesburg based startup’s platform allows property owners who have vacant parking spots, to list these to make extra income by renting these out to members of the public (see this story). See the startup’s pitchdeck here.

WallFly is a mobile app that turns your smartphone into an acoustic sensor that monitors the ambient loudness around one, to help modulate the level of music at ones party. The app was developed by Cape Town musician and sound engineer Petrus Theron last year. See the startup’s pitchdeck here.

Floatis a digital marketplace that facilitates peer-to-peer rentals of specialised items. The startup was founded by Njinu Kumani, Victoria Muwanga Zake, Tebogo Mokwena and Kweku Quansah. See the startup’s pitchdeck here.

Halo Rides (Angel Cabs)Halo Rides, which is founded by Julie Mkhonta, is looking to become a comprehensive women-only-driven e-hailing service targeting women riders.

Gidö is a mobile platform that allows travellers to create and book a private day tour as well as activities on demand. The Cape Town based company’s smart algorithm populates a list of the most relevant guides for users to choose from. The startup was founded by Brandon Tshabalala and Mark Brijder. See the startup’s pitchdeck here.

OpenChargeis a Cape Town based company founded by Phebeon and Denys Vera that wants to make it easier to transform everyday surfaces into wireless charging spots. See their pitchdeck here.